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Which car seat to buy
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amother
Red


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 12:06 am
I need your help figuring out which car seat(s) to buy !
I have a 9 MO (weights 17) and a 3 1/2 YO.
I need car seats for both because the ones I have are completely ruined (I got hand me downs from family but they literally don't seem safe anymore)
I'm looking for something cheap (!) but convenient- meaning I don't want to spend much but would rather spend a little more for something that is way better.
Safety of course is a priority!
If it's light weight- that would be great.
Another thing- I want another kid soon(ish). Which means we will be very tight on room in the back of our small car. So I need car seats that aren't so bulky.
Truth is, I'm wondering if to buy for my 9MO a car seat that is from infancy till 3 YO - this way the new baby can use it next...not sure.


So basically I've been searching online but there are so so many options- I'm completely lost.
There's a booster seat for my 3 YO - but someone told me it isn't as safe?
There are 3 in 1 car seats for my 9MO that the baby would be able to use next but they are way more expensive so maybe it isn't worth it?

Another thing- where is best to buy? walmar/target or babies r us ? is the there a difference? where is the cheapest? I don't have the time to go to the actual stores to look where there are sales- I want to make a phone order and go pick up.

TIA.
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amother
Red


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 7:12 am
Bumping...
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 8:48 am
Is your 3.5 forward facing? Get him a Harmony Defender 360 for under $100 from Walmart. Use it in HARNESS mode, not as a booster.

For your 17 lb 9 month old, look at the Safety 1st Guide 65 also available at Walmart for under $70.

Bot hare good seats with decent padding, only 17" in width which is about as narrow as you can get. Decent limits for height/weight, though not humongous, but seems to be fine for your kids' stats.
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amother
Red


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 9:04 am
Hashem_Yaazor wrote:
Is your 3.5 forward facing? Get him a Harmony Defender 360 for under $100 from Walmart. Use it in HARNESS mode, not as a booster.

For your 17 lb 9 month old, look at the Safety 1st Guide 65 also available at Walmart for under $70.

Bot hare good seats with decent padding, only 17" in width which is about as narrow as you can get. Decent limits for height/weight, though not humongous, but seems to be fine for your kids' stats.


Sounds perfect, thanks!
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amother
Turquoise


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 9:57 am
just make sure you keep your 9 motnh old rear facing till theyre at least 2. way safer. and yes get rid of those hand me down seats. not safe
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musicmom




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 10:13 am
diono radian

this can be used from infancy to 5 years old, forwards or backwards, and they are THE skinniest there is. We had two of them and an infant seat in our old car before we needed to get a minivan.
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amother
Red


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 10:20 am
Thanks amother you're right.

HY-
So I actually just checed and in Walmart Canada these seats are SO much more expensive Sad
As in- what costs 100$ in US costs 160$ in Canada (and that's before tax!).
Are there any cheaper, yet good enough, options?
TIA
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cfriedman2




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 10:26 am
are you on fb? post your question in the group car seats for the littles and state your in canada. you will get techs to respond to you
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amother
Red


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 10:42 am
musicmom wrote:
diono radian

this can be used from infancy to 5 years old, forwards or backwards, and they are THE skinniest there is. We had two of them and an infant seat in our old car before we needed to get a minivan.


I missed this somehow- It looks great! But can't find it in Canada...guess I need some help from canadian amothers...anyone?
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amother
Red


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 11:09 am
amother wrote:
I missed this somehow- It looks great! But can't find it in Canada...guess I need some help from canadian amothers...anyone?

Actually just found them on Toys R Us but it's way beyond my price range...I was hoping for much cheaper (up to 100$ or 150$).
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amother
Firebrick


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 11:28 am
Not to take it off topic but I have a similar question. I have a 1.5 year old and this LO is still in a rear-facing bucket seat. The weight limit is 30 or 35 pounds but the LO is reaching the height limit wayyyyyy before weight limit. I got myself a little LO.
I want a car seat (In America) that can still be rear facing. Mine is fine rear facing so far and it is soooo much safer. I like the diono radian or ranier- anyone else have experience with either of them? They are super heavy and I hear they are hard to transport between cars which means that I will have to buy 2 which makes them WAY out of budget. Any cheaper but similar alternatives? I don't want to skimp on safety, with a high limit rear facing, and I do want it to be skinny since we dont want to buy a minivan anytime soon (and we hope we are given the gift of a second sometime soon IYH!)
Thanks!!
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 11:55 am
Diono Radians are a LOT more expensive than the options I mentioned, even with Canadian prices. The newer Dionos are actually being made wider, and you need the 'R' series being discontinued if you want the 17" width (same as what I mentioned for the other seats).
I don't know what else is available in Canada, if there are narrower options.
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amother
Firebrick


 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 11:59 am
Hashem_Yaazor wrote:
Diono Radians are a LOT more expensive than the options I mentioned, even with Canadian prices. The newer Dionos are actually being made wider, and you need the 'R' series being discontinued if you want the 17" width (same as what I mentioned for the other seats).
I don't know what else is available in Canada, if there are narrower options.


I am looking into the dionos now... if they are discontinuing them I might jump and get at least the one for my car.... How can I tell if it is the smaller width? I saw some with the RXT label... is that what you mean?
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 11:59 am
amother wrote:
Not to take it off topic but I have a similar question. I have a 1.5 year old and this LO is still in a rear-facing bucket seat. The weight limit is 30 or 35 pounds but the LO is reaching the height limit wayyyyyy before weight limit. I got myself a little LO.
I want a car seat (In America) that can still be rear facing. Mine is fine rear facing so far and it is soooo much safer. I like the diono radian or ranier- anyone else have experience with either of them? They are super heavy and I hear they are hard to transport between cars which means that I will have to buy 2 which makes them WAY out of budget. Any cheaper but similar alternatives? I don't want to skimp on safety, with a high limit rear facing, and I do want it to be skinny since we dont want to buy a minivan anytime soon (and we hope we are given the gift of a second sometime soon IYH!)
Thanks!!

The fact that you can use it till 1.5 is amazing; most buckets don't last that long for height either Wink
I never bought a Diono even though we have 2 3-across situations (very squishy!) because they are not the type of seat to install and take out frequently (which we needed to do for carpooling purposes).

There is nothing "similar" in terms of the amazing height/weight limits they have, but many convertibles have decent limits that work for the average child (which sounds like your child is). I would look at the Guide 65 as the skinniest convertible I found besides the Diono when I spent hours researching this for a 3-across situation.

I personally got a Britax convertible of the older/classic footprint (from Target) to puzzle well with mine, but I had a smaller than average kid, and the limits on the classic are not as high as some of the newer ones on the market.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 12:00 pm
amother wrote:
I am looking into the dionos now... if they are discontinuing them I might jump and get at least the one for my car.... How can I tell if it is the smaller width? I saw some with the RXT label... is that what you mean?

Yeah, that, and the R100 are all from the skinnier line.
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abemom2




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 26 2015, 7:48 pm
The Radian is great for 3 across.

Car seats in Canada are way more expensive, but there are always sales around.

In Canada it's illegal to booster before age 4, though it's extremely unsafe to booster before age 5-6. I personally wait until 7 - and it's a High back booster, not a no back one.

Also, used car seats are a no-no, if you don't know the history. Once it's in a crash - it's garbage.


For the 3 year old this is a good, recommended, inexpensive seat. It can also work for your baby, but it takes up more room from front to back than do other seats, so it would be good to try out first rear facing if you can. http://www.toysrus.ca/product/.....77936

You can try the Scenera Next - a very basic seat for the baby. http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/co.....27076

This one is more comfortable and a smooth install for the baby, : http://www.toysrus.ca/product/.....88456

I have found tons of info on car seat safety at Car-seat.org. It's a car seat forum.

Good Luck!
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amother
Red


 

Post Wed, May 27 2015, 12:39 am
Abomom thanks so much !
I thought Evenflo wasn't a good brand , now that I see you recommended it, it definetly opens up lots of options for me.
The cosco you suggested looks VERY cheap - I really want something that's at least semi durable.
We bought my 3 YO a car seat that was cheap and it's literally falling apart after 2 years...Very annoying.

BTW the second hand we got - it was from family and we made sure these weren't invovled in accidents etc. They are just very used by now ..the straps don't fit anymore and they are just old models and I don't feel safe with them anymore.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, May 27 2015, 5:51 am
They're likely expired anyway.
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abemom2




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, May 27 2015, 5:57 am
Evenflo has shaped up over the last 2 years. They were not the most recommended before that. I would still not recommend all of their seats, but some are good.

Also, just a BTW, most car seats expire after 6 years, Diono after 8, and Clek after 9, so keep that in mind when looking at purchasing price. There are another few like the Graco Nautilus that also has a longer life span. (It's a FF seat, then changes to booster mode.)

The Scenera NEXT is a cheaper seat, not very padded, but will last well. I had the old version Scenera- with less padding as a main seat for a while, and the kids never complained. I also used it when needed for quick ins and outs.

I just wanted to point out something many don't realize with regards to used seats, and realized there were enough people reading this thread, that's why I mentioned that point.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, May 27 2015, 8:04 am
Most seats these days have a 7 year lifespan, at least in the US Smile
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